Detroit's work force lacking job skills; it's called a 'huge problem'

[begingri]

They're students, retirees, people living on disability and those laid off, too discouraged to look anymore.

Whatever their background, they're among the 1 of every 2 Detroit adults neither holding a job nor looking -- the worst percentage for 2010 among 41 major U.S. cities.

This vast segment -- some 174,000 Detroiters ages 16-64 who do not work -- poses a serious challenge for a city on the brink of fiscal ruin.If Detroit is to pull out of its fiscal mess, a higher percentage of adults needs to have the skills necessary to enter the work force and join the local economy, ultimately adding to Detroit's income tax base, said Kurt Metzger, director of the Data Driven Detroit demographic research firm.

"These are not necessarily people who have chosen not to work," he said. "Some of them have been beaten down for years. It's a huge problem for the city. It's a huge problem for the region."

The labor force participation rate is based on different criteria than the traditional unemployment rate, which counts people who want to work but cannot find jobs. The jobless rate is 17.8% in Detroit.

The participation rate, tracked by the federal government, is a much broader count of any adult who has a job or is trying to get one. The higher the rate, the healthier the city and its economy, generally speaking.

Most major cities see at least 60% of adults participating in the work force, either by working jobs or actively applying for them. In several cities -- Seattle, Charlotte, N.C., and Denver, for example -- more than 70% of adult residents are in the labor force.

Detroit's rate is the lowest among big cities: 49.8%.

By John Gallagher and Jeff Seidel

Detroit Free Press Staff Writers

Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/2012040...CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

[313WX]

It's not just the lack of job skills, but also the lack of jobs and the poor access to the jobs that are available.

[corktownyuppie]

It's not just the lack of job skills, but also the lack of jobs and the poor access to the jobs that are available.

The poor access is a legitimate problem. Businesses in the suburbs will benefit from access to cheaper labor while simultaneously giving jobs to many who need them. We gotta fix transit in this, and there's enough people on all sides of the equation who will benefit...businesses, residents, suburbanites, Detroiters.

The other thing is that there is never a lack of jobs. There are always jobs. As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will be a job for someone who is able and willing to solve it. The problem is not a lack of jobs, it's that the problems that need solving are a poor match with the people looking for work.

Trust me. If the 300,000 Detroiters who are looking for a job had the skillset to work towards finding a cure for cancer, working in engineering, or software/hardware development...there would be far fewer people unemployed.

Instead of thinking about how there aren't jobs, we need to think about how we can train up our people to solve the problems that need solving...or we need to find problems for them to solve that are within their ability...or some combination of both.

[Chicago48]

It's not just the lack of job skills, but also the lack of jobs and the poor access to the jobs that are available.

Not only that, those who are college educated leave the state for other midwest states like ILL and MN.
When you consider the majority of the population is black, the school system is poor, what do you expect?

[rex]

Its pretty hard to replace the formative year conventional education. In your 20s or 30s its can be tough to go to school while juggling adult responsibilities. Im not talking about education that will qualify you for a high paying job. Getting your GED or diploma isn't remarkable. A BA doesn't exactly make you stand out either. Grad rates in the city have been dismal and Detroit has amassed a workforce suited for jobs that left town. They're in china, mexico and elsewhere but not here. Lots of people unequipped to contribute to Detroit's comeback.

[rex]

That 49.8% is the number working & or looking for work? If you remove those looking but still unemployed I wonder what the % would be. The % of working age Detroiters that are actually employed.

[canuck]

The other thing is that there is never a lack of jobs. There are always jobs. As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will be a job for someone who is able and willing to solve it. The problem is not a lack of jobs, it's that the problems that need solving are a poor match with the people looking for work.


Instead of thinking about how there aren't jobs, we need to think about how we can train up our people to solve the problems that need solving...or we need to find problems for them to solve that are within their ability...or some combination of both.

Dead on corktownyuppie, as you often are btw...

It's easy to overlook this problem but with proper training in some areas of employment, indeed; the jobs are there to be had or made as you say.

It's not as if the challenges arent there to begin tackling the unemployment numbers; the level of employability should be matched so that people feel they are contributing which is the first block in building self confidence and a sense of worth.

[313WX]

That 49.8% is the number working & or looking for work? If you remove those looking but still unemployed I wonder what the % would be. The % of working age Detroiters that are actually employed.

I believe the labor force participitation rate.

Keep in mind that includes underemployed workers as well.

[Wesley Mouch]

Kudos to Metzger and team for 'data driven' approach to Detroit's problems.

I hope this encourages those concerned about Detroit to put efforts into education. Its much more important than anything else. I do not believe you can 'create jobs' any more than you can 'create vegetables'. But if you create fertile ground...

[Bong-Man]

In these tough times, please find a way to support your local Community College. With tuition rates a quarter the cost of any State University, it's these folks' only chance to retrain for jobs in demand, especially health care. Remember, a willing mind is a terrible thing to waste.

[hortonz]

The entire "workforce lacking job skills" issue sounds like another attempt by the powers-that-be to deflect responsibility for the sorry state of the nation's job market from themselves to those who have been locked out of the job market by outsourcing. Why don't the talking heads who are always blaming teachers' unions, entitlement programs for low-income Americans or Barack Obama for all of America's economic and social problems blame the use of forced labor to make most of the goods we buy? Why is it perfectly okay to outsource good-paying manufacturing jobs to countries where most of the workforce has little or no education and then demand that Americans holding those jobs have PHD's?

[Hypestyles]

The parts of Detroit’s economy which are not working mostly involve manufacturing. This cannot be over-stressed. Historically, Detroit has placed an inordinate amount of resources into assuming that the heavy-industrial manufacturing industry would be here forever. There was a time in which various factory and heavy-industry-related jobs were plentiful for local residents, whether they were simply a high school graduate, or even a dropout. At the risk of understatement, that era is over. From the 1960s forward, there has been both drastic and gradual disinvestment, by both larger corporations and smaller businesses, which has economically crippled the city of Detroit and made the metropolitan area much less prosperous than in the past.
Manufacturing as an industry farmed jobs out to foreign countries while downsizing dramatically within our borders. Today, even entry-level jobs at various companies require some form of formal skills training, a degree or certificate. This prevents a high percentage of Detroit residents from even being considered for various jobs. Thus, even so-called blue-collar jobs are not a sure thing for anyone unskilled or semi-skilled seeking employment.

The governor/state legsilature needs to create a Michigan version of the Civilian Conservation Corps and/or the Public Works Administration [[I hope there are people in office who actually know what these initiatives were), directly seeking out unemployed and underemployed Detroiters, and tackling large-scale projects like citywide blight removal, recycling materials where appropriate, landscaping, and similar activities..

If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then..

[Wesley Mouch]

...
The governor/state legsilature needs to create a Michigan version of the Civilian Conservation Corps and/or the Public Works Administration [[I hope there are people in office who actually know what these initiatives were), directly seeking out unemployed and underemployed Detroiters, and tackling large-scale projects like citywide blight removal, recycling materials where appropriate, landscaping, and similar activities..

If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then..

Done well, this would be a far more useful thing than 'stimulus by investment in banks'.

Good work by good people for good purposes.

I just hope that corporations don't see it as threat to their government contracts, and Unions don't see it as threat to their dues revenue. Both have a history of shortsightedness. Both would benefit in the long haul here.

Good idea.

[313WX]

The parts of Detroit’s economy which are not working mostly involve manufacturing. This cannot be over-stressed. Historically, Detroit has placed an inordinate amount of resources into assuming that the heavy-industrial manufacturing industry would be here forever. There was a time in which various factory and heavy-industry-related jobs were plentiful for local residents, whether they were simply a high school graduate, or even a dropout. At the risk of understatement, that era is over. From the 1960s forward, there has been both drastic and gradual disinvestment, by both larger corporations and smaller businesses, which has economically crippled the city of Detroit and made the metropolitan area much less prosperous than in the past.
Manufacturing as an industry farmed jobs out to foreign countries while downsizing dramatically within our borders. Today, even entry-level jobs at various companies require some form of formal skills training, a degree or certificate. This prevents a high percentage of Detroit residents from even being considered for various jobs. Thus, even so-called blue-collar jobs are not a sure thing for anyone unskilled or semi-skilled seeking employment.

The governor/state legsilature needs to create a Michigan version of the Civilian Conservation Corps and/or the Public Works Administration [[I hope there are people in office who actually know what these initiatives were), directly seeking out unemployed and underemployed Detroiters, and tackling large-scale projects like citywide blight removal, recycling materials where appropriate, landscaping, and similar activities..

If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then..

I agree 100% with this proposal.

[GoGrixdale]

The governor/state legsilature needs to create a Michigan version of the Civilian Conservation Corps and/or the Public Works Administration [[I hope there are people in office who actually know what these initiatives were), directly seeking out unemployed and underemployed Detroiters, and tackling large-scale projects like citywide blight removal, recycling materials where appropriate, landscaping, and similar activities..

If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then..

Too much like right... +1

My grandfather left Boxsprings, GA and went to work in the CC Camp [[as he called it). Thats what he called being on welfare. He learned a thing or two...bought a car...grabbed my grandma and came to Detroit with the new skills, pride and determination to become a millwright at Ford. All on a 6th grade education.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The parts of Detroit’s economy which are not working mostly involve manufacturing. This cannot be over-stressed. Historically, Detroit has placed an inordinate amount of resources into assuming that the heavy-industrial manufacturing industry would be here forever. There was a time in which various factory and heavy-industry-related jobs were plentiful for local residents, whether they were simply a high school graduate, or even a dropout. At the risk of understatement, that era is over. From the 1960s forward, there has been both drastic and gradual disinvestment, by both larger corporations and smaller businesses, which has economically crippled the city of Detroit and made the metropolitan area much less prosperous than in the past.
Manufacturing as an industry farmed jobs out to foreign countries while downsizing dramatically within our borders. Today, even entry-level jobs at various companies require some form of formal skills training, a degree or certificate. This prevents a high percentage of Detroit residents from even being considered for various jobs. Thus, even so-called blue-collar jobs are not a sure thing for anyone unskilled or semi-skilled seeking employment.

The governor/state legsilature needs to create a Michigan version of the Civilian Conservation Corps and/or the Public Works Administration [[I hope there are people in office who actually know what these initiatives were), directly seeking out unemployed and underemployed Detroiters, and tackling large-scale projects like citywide blight removal, recycling materials where appropriate, landscaping, and similar activities..

If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then..

This is the best post on this page. Very astute analysis. Many of the people I graduated high school with, got hired by the big 3 in the late 70's and early 80's, the last really big wave of employment for the big 3. Many are reaching retirement, if they haven't done so already. You will never have that option again to choose from going to college or straight to the factory.

[coracle]

"If "cash help" to city coffers is "out of the question", then dammit, use the state surplus, bring in the corporate community as co-underwriters, to put some people to work, then."

Dammit! The State Surplus belongs to all of us and is not there to fund sinecures for a few. Put people back to work as a condition for receiving a living income from the public purse. No need to pay for more nonjobs just because its more of somebody else's money. Its a "rainy day" fund for all of us.
If the Corporate Sector wants to fund it that's another matter altogether.

[Wesley Mouch]

Dammit! The State Surplus belongs to all of us and is not there to fund sinecures for a few. Put people back to work as a condition for receiving a living income from the public purse. No need to pay for more nonjobs just because its more of somebody else's money. Its a "rainy day" fund for all of us.
If the Corporate Sector wants to fund it that's another matter altogether.

If the intention was to create sinecures just to distribute the 'surplus', then I agree.

I took his idea to be to pay people to really do something useful, like cleaning up vacant lots -- to build a resume. Certainly never should just fund sinecures. We have enough of that already.

[hortonz]

Once again the government has put the buggy in front of the horse. Does governor Snyder or anyone in the Republican party have a clue about how many of us college graduates are working in menial, low-paying gigs because all the highly-skilled, technical jobs were outsourced to places like China or India?

[313WX]

Once again the government has put the buggy in front of the horse. Does governor Snyder or anyone in the Republican party have a clue about how many of us college graduates are working in menial, low-paying gigs because all the highly-skilled, technical jobs were outsourced to places like China or India?

Of course.

Your governor even outsourced some of those jobs himself.

[Wheels]

Once again the government has put the buggy in front of the horse. Does governor Snyder or anyone in the Republican party have a clue about how many of us college graduates are working in menial, low-paying gigs because all the highly-skilled, technical jobs were outsourced to places like China or India?

If that were true why are they trying to lure Yahoo workers here for high tech jobs?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Just heard that Snyder is being recalled again, after the first one failed. Well maybe they get enough signatures this time.

[EastsideAl]

The entire "workforce lacking job skills" issue sounds like another attempt by the powers-that-be to deflect responsibility for the sorry state of the nation's job market from themselves to those who have been locked out of the job market by outsourcing. Why don't the talking heads who are always blaming teachers' unions, entitlement programs for low-income Americans or Barack Obama for all of America's economic and social problems blame the use of forced labor to make most of the goods we buy? Why is it perfectly okay to outsource good-paying manufacturing jobs to countries where most of the workforce has little or no education and then demand that Americans holding those jobs have PHD's?

THIS... a million times over. We've ruined countless people's lives and sold off our young peoples' prospects in the service of a promise of riches that has never, and will never, arrive for most of us. The benefits have all gone to someone else and the profits have gone almost entirely to a select few [[and quite magnificent profits they are too). In short, we've been sold a fraudulent bill of goods.

And now the worst victims of this fraud, the people who have been most disadvantaged and have the most limited resources to escape their circumstances, are being told that it's their own fault. Why, you don't have a graduate engineering degree, you irresponsible person you, whatever did you expect? Well, hell, a decent job that pays a living wage so that you could house and feed a family without special connections or a graduate level education might be nice.

But if you come from a place with a failing school system and a shrinking tax base, or you don't have well-off parents, or you're just not one of those people cut out for college and grad school - then there's none of that living wage for you in today's America. All we have to offer is third-world semi-slave labor jobs at minimum wage, or chronic unemployment featuring near starvation. Why? To make America more competitive of course! [[In a competition for what exactly... the richest country with the poorest population? We're pretty much winning that title already).

And while this city's kids are indeed woefully prepared for this economy, it's not only the unskilled or underskilled who are suffering anymore. Despite what the yuppie posted above, I know several unemployed and underemployed people who have skills as engineers, software writers, and/or have those vaunted degrees in science and math. Their jobs have also been sent to Shanghai and Bangalore and elsewhere, all in the name of saving a few bucks. And I guess we should blame them too, rather than [[horrors!) blaming the ones who actually sold them out for a few dollars more.

[corktownyuppie]

Why, you don't have a graduate engineering degree, you irresponsible person you, whatever did you expect? Well, hell, a decent job that pays a living wage so that you could house and feed a family without special connections or a graduate level education might be nice.

What I think you're pointing at here is a question of socio-economic stability. And, in an ideal world, the world would allow for people to exercise their freedom to maximize their own benefit...but not to the point where it would force sudden, drastic change, and uncontrollable social upheaval.

I'm a capitalist, and there's no question about that. At the same time I also recognize the need for capitalism harnessed and reined in...otherwise it can be like wild, uncontrollable horses that end up leaving a trail of destruction in its path.

However, I don't think that level of stability is achievable, and the best we can hope for is social mobility...a chance for people at all levels of socio-economic status to be able to move up [[or down) the strata if they so see fit.

Back in 1900, 41% of employees in the US worked in agriculture. And as the US industrialized, people moved out of farming -- either by choice by economic forces -- into an industrialized society. This transition was very painful for many, and we certainly realized that unfettered industrialization was also not ideal, which made unions an absolute necessity.

Of course this transition was not just economically painful, putting many people out of their jobs, but also culturally painful, as many people yearned for "a simpler time" when the adult world revolved around agricultural and natural concerns...rather than the blowing of whistles and the churning of machines.

By 2000, fewer than 2% work in agriculture.

We have gone through the same transition over the last 30 years. You say you wish a graduate degree wasn't necessary to get a job, but we as Americans have "sold out" the uneducated class, relying instead on cheap labor overseas. We don't just expect iPhones, we expect them to get better every two years. And cheaper.

We're not ever going back to a world where you don't need higher education, whether that's high-level technical training or an advanced degree. I'm sorry, it's not going to happen. We live in a complex world with complex systems and complex machines.

Stop and think about it...if you were born in 1900, you could be 16 years old and have basic levels of understanding about how even the most complex machine worked. Steam engine, electricity, gears, wheels...that's all common sense. I'm not saying that every Joe could build a horse and carriage. But he sure as hell could look at one and understand how it works.

If you're born in today's age, you need 16-20+ years of education just to understand how everyday machines work. I could unscrew my entire computer and still have no idea what's going on.

And what I think this points to is not a rejection that world is changing, but rather the fact that it's changed in a way where social mobility no longer exists. i think it's fair that a society that wants improved goods and services must also demand more and more from its people as time goes on. But I think it's also fair that society provide an avenue where people can choose to get where they want to go if they're motivated and willing. It's not kids' fault when DPS failed to teach them. The question now is, if they are willing to work hard and to learn, should we provide them an avenue to do so?

I personally think we should. That's just me.

But for those people who resist change, I also have no problem letting society pass them by.

And while this city's kids are indeed woefully prepared for this economy, it's not only the unskilled or underskilled who are suffering anymore. Despite what the yuppie posted above, I know several unemployed and underemployed people who have skills as engineers, software writers, and/or have those vaunted degrees in science and math. Their jobs have also been sent to Shanghai and Bangalore and elsewhere, all in the name of saving a few bucks. And I guess we should blame them too, rather than [[horrors!) blaming the ones who actually sold them out for a few dollars more.

Population migration is not new. Millions moved from the south to the north in order to find the fortunes to be made in the new industrialized world. Many moved from the Midwest to the Sun Belt as silicon transformed from cheap dust into the sand that fuels computers.

The only difference now is that the migration is not from south to north or east to west. It's global. And it's not just leaving one accent in exchange for another, it's having to learn a whole new language, culture, and set of laws.

Now part of me thinks that's really unfair, especially for the powerless workers who ended up here through no fault of their own. The other part of me says, "Well, that's exactly why my parents moved here from thousands of miles away. Why should someone be exempt from the movement of economic forces just because they were born on American soil. Isn't that just a bit entitled?"

I don't have the answer to this. But I do know that the world will continue to change. We can either change with it, or we can be left behind.

[wolverine]

The poor access is a legitimate problem. Businesses in the suburbs will benefit from access to cheaper labor while simultaneously giving jobs to many who need them. We gotta fix transit in this, and there's enough people on all sides of the equation who will benefit...businesses, residents, suburbanites, Detroiters.

The other thing is that there is never a lack of jobs. There are always jobs. As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will be a job for someone who is able and willing to solve it. The problem is not a lack of jobs, it's that the problems that need solving are a poor match with the people looking for work.

Trust me. If the 300,000 Detroiters who are looking for a job had the skillset to work towards finding a cure for cancer, working in engineering, or software/hardware development...there would be far fewer people unemployed.

Instead of thinking about how there aren't jobs, we need to think about how we can train up our people to solve the problems that need solving...or we need to find problems for them to solve that are within their ability...or some combination of both.

Completely agree.